The Edge of Family Reasoning
by Valie
Summary: AU. Takes place somewhere after Eldest but before Brsinger. Eragon was captured by Murtagh and is being held prisoner by him. -Eragon/Murtagh- -Slash- -Incest- -Angst- -Abuse- -Dark!Fic- -Ficlet-


**A/N:** [Written for Livejournal's SpringKink comm.] I'll be honest - incest, not really my thing, but this pairing seemed too interesting to pass up. I haven't read Brsinger yet, so that's why I went with an AU take on what might have transpired after Eldest.

(_Sequel to this fic can be found here -_ /s/5194970/1/Jumping_Off_Mountain_Cliffs)

_**ETA -**__ Corrected 'orcs' to 'urguls'. Thanks to those who pointed it out! :D_

**Pairing:** Eragon/Murtagh

**Prompt:** Eragon/Murtagh: punishment - "Don't you dare judge me."

**Spoilers:** None really.

**Warnings:** Slash, incest, physical abuse, mild violence, implied torture, mental abuse, held against one's will, hatred, angst, dark!fic.

**Word count:** 563

--

**The Edge of Family Reasoning**

Eragon couldn't remember when or how he had fallen asleep, but he awoke with a stiff neck, some time after dawn. Or at least he thought it was dawn, there were no windows in the small room he had been enclosed in. Small pebbles clung to his arms as he moved and stretched slowly. A pain at his side reminded him of his situation, his hands reaching out and feeling the metal anklet that bound him by a chain to the ground of his cell in confirmation. He hadn't wanted this, hell, he barely understood his brother's hatred for him.

His cell door jangled and squealed open, light filling the darkness, blinding the young man. Eragon didn't need his vision to know who was standing at the doorway though.

"Murtagh." He growled, rubbing his eyes, trying to focus.

"Good to know you haven't forgotten my name yet." A stale piece of bread was tossed on the floor and kicked to the prisoner. "Don't want you dying on me just yet."

"Saphira?" Eragon asked, ignoring his rumbling stomach.

Murtagh sneered in annoyance. "Still missing. Arya too, but it's only a matter of time before the urguls locate one, or both, of them. The urguls are painstakingly searching every bit of the empire and are on orders not to stop until they have been found or cornered." A smirk. "In the meantime..."

The older boy crossed the threshold, sending Eragon into flight or fight mode. Knowing what was to come, he backed away as far as his bound ankle allowed. Murtagh hovered over him, laughing as he knelt down and pinned his brother's arms to the floor. Eragon struggled, but it'd been weeks since he'd been capture. A lack of food and near daily beatings from various faces he'd rather forget, had weaken the young man greatly. He tried for all he was worth to push his brother off, only to fail miserably. Murtagh captured his lips in a bruising kiss, his hands tightening their grip painfully on his brother's arms.

"You're sick!" Eragon spat when his brother pulled away slightly from the kiss.

"Don't you dare judge me!" Murtagh shouted, slapping the younger boy's face. "We are of the same blood. You are no better then I."

"I'm nothing like you!"

The words were met with a punch to his already bruised side. Eragon gritted his teeth, inhaling sharply to keep from crying out. He refused to give his brother the satisfaction of hearing him suffer - even if it only made Murtagh angrier. Hands at his throat choked him as his mouth was roughly kissed again. Panicking, Eragon fought back, clawing and punching at his brother as he slowly suffocated. His strength ebbed quickly and his eyes rolled in his head, tears leaking from his eyes. Then his brother's mouth was gone and he was kicked sharply in his other side. When he didn't respond, a hard slap brought Eragon back from the brink of death as he gasped in air loudly.

"Does death scare you enough to cry?" His brother mocked.

A pause as Eragon gathered his bearings. "No, death doesn't scare me." His eyes, bleary, met his brother's. "I cried because my blood was almost on your hands. Family shouldn't kill each other."

Murtagh turned away, exiting the cell. "Tell that to father then," he whispered as he closed the door.

**-End-**


End file.
